28+ Break A Leg Wishes Background. It is thought that wishing for something bad to happen will prevent it from happening. Thus, break a leg, by this logic, would be a wish for good luck.
Take for example, the expression to break a leg. this may sound violent.
There is some dispute as to when and where this seemingly nasty advice originated. Sorry if this is the wrong forum for this type of question. Break a leg is a typical english idiom used in theatre to wish a performer good luck. This is in line with the first documented instance of someone saying break a leg in terms of wishing them luck.